WBO Orders Bentley to Face Hernandez or Vacate Middleweight Title
The WBO denied Denzel Bentley's appeal and ordered him to face mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez, derailing his Zuffa Boxing debut.
The WBO has denied Denzel Bentley's appeal for a voluntary defense and ordered him to face mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez, putting his middleweight title and his planned Zuffa Boxing debut in serious jeopardy.
WBO president Gustavo Olivieri announced Thursday that the sanctioning body's Complaint and Grievance Committee upheld the mandatory order. Both parties have been given 24 hours from service of the ruling to confirm their intention to proceed with the fight, per Boxing News 24.
Bentley had been pushing for a voluntary defense against Shane Mosley Jr. on November 7, a fight that was set to serve as his debut under the Zuffa Boxing banner. The WBO's ruling puts that plan on ice. If Bentley wants to keep his belt, Hernandez has to come first.
The situation is the latest headache for Zuffa Boxing. Bentley is the second Zuffa signee in recent weeks to face complications over mandatory obligations, following the promotional outfit's loss of Shakur Stevenson. Eddie Hearn, the Matchroom promoter who has been publicly critical of Zuffa's boxing operation, told reporters he expects Conor Benn to leave Zuffa as well. "I don't believe he'll fight for Zuffa again," Hearn said, adding, "Watch who they try and make him fight for that comeback fight."
The mandatory fight went through purse bids with a total of $200,000, a far cry from the payday Bentley was expecting on the Mosley card. Bentley inherited the WBO middleweight belt after Janibek Alimkhanuly vacated, and the timing of this ruling could not be worse for his promotional plans.
Whether Bentley takes the mandatory or vacates the belt remains to be seen. Either way, Zuffa Boxing's November 7 card just lost some of its shine.
Zuffa Boxing is learning the hard way that boxing is not MMA. In the UFC, Dana White controls the matchmaking. In boxing, the sanctioning bodies have the final say, and the WBO just reminded Bentley who runs the show at 160 pounds.
This $200,000 purse bid tells you everything. Bentley signed with Zuffa expecting big-money fights and a platform. Instead, he's staring at a mandatory with small money and the threat of being stripped if he does not take it. Meanwhile, Hearn is sitting across the aisle saying Benn is next to leave.
I'm not ready to write Zuffa Boxing's obituary yet. Dana White has the resources and the stubbornness to weather a rough stretch. But the pattern is real: Stevenson gone, Bentley's debut derailed, Benn potentially walking. At some point you have to ask whether the UFC model translates to a sport where four different organizations can force your hand. So far, the answer is no.
KEEP TALKING FIGHTS.
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